NBCUniversal’s Linda Yaccarino has taken over as chair of the Ad Council’s board of directors, succeeding David Fischer, chief revenue officer at Facebook.
In her role, Yaccarino, chairman of global advertising and partnerships at NBCUniversal, will work with Ad Council leaders and the executive committee to further the organization’s mission to address the critical social issues in the United States, including leading support for the Ad Council’s national COVID-19 vaccine education effort.
Yaccarino will also advise on business matters and chair the organizations’ largest annual fundraising event, the Public Service Award Dinner. She will serve as chair until June 30, 2022.
Facebook’s Fischer has held the position since July 2019, when he took over from Linda Boff, chief marketing officer at General Electric. Yaccarino’s path to the chair has been planned since Fischer’s appointment.
Yaccarino first joined the Ad Council board of directors in 2014, the executive committee in 2015, and until this new appointment, previously served as vice chair. She also currently co-chairs the Ad Council’s crisis and response and recovery effort alongside Fischer.
With Yaccarino on the executive committee, NBCUniversal has donated a significant amount of media to support Ad Council campaigns, according to the Ad Council. The network has used its Content Innovation Agency to create campaigns around drunk-driving prevention, LGBT acceptance and COVID-19 awareness, such as public service announcements featuring celebrities like Kelly Clarkson and Terry Crews, who educated viewers on how to limit the spread of the pandemic.